June 2017 Newsletter

10 Fitness Tips For a Healthy Summer

It’s nearly summer time, and it would serve us well to be reminded of some useful health and fitness tips while preparing for our summer agenda.

Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Water cleanses the body and allows your body to function more efficiently. Make sure you are drinking about 16 ounces every 30 minutes, before, during, and after exercise. Some sports drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade have special ingredients that help replenish fluids to prevent dehydration.

Get outdoors. Our country is beautiful and exploring the great outdoors can be a helpful distraction to the chore of exercising. Make a list of outdoor activities that you want to participate in over the summer and schedule them!

Establish your support network. When trying to get into shape, it is important to have family and friends who actively support you. Many times, the people in your life can sabotage your success. This means they need to respect your goals and not offer you wrong foods, or try to pull you away from your exercise program. Explain to them how important this is to you and that you need their encouragement.

Follow a Training Program and Keep Records for accountability. If you are really serious about your goals, it helps to establish and commit to a training plan. A program will keep you focused and allow you to set short term goals. Tracking your progress will also allow you to assess what’s working and what’s not.

Eat small meals frequently. Eat more frequently but in smaller portions. The more often you eat, the higher your metabolic rate. A higher metabolism burns more calories a day. Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day to ensure adequate nutrients to build muscle and burn fat.

Get creative. Too busy for fitness? Change your social and eating habits to promote healthy lifestyle changes. Instead of eating a heavy lunch, pack a lunch and go for a walk. You can sip on a protein drink or snack on fruit while enjoying a nice brisk walk to break up your stressful work day. You will feel refreshed and more invigorated for your afternoon tasks.

Be patient. If you took the winter off, don’t expect to reach your fitness goals in a week or two. It’s more important that you enjoy the summer while appreciating the efforts that you’re making. Focus on what you want to accomplish daily in your physical activity and the results will follow. Getting fit takes time and with commitment, you will reach your goals.

Breathe during exercise. When exercising, there is a proper way to breath that will allow adequate amounts of oxygen into the system and providing better endurance. For example, marathon runners will tell you that they use a rhythm when running that allows them to run longer and healthier than normal breathing.

Love yourself. Accept the fact that we are all built differently and that love comes from within. Always love yourself for who you are inside. As long as you are eating right, exercising, and doing your very best, you will be healthy and happy. Do the best you can and love the inside beauty more than the outside beauty.

Remember to Have Fun. Keep in mind that the summer is supposed to create some of the best memories of the year. So relax and enjoy your activity and let’s get healthy one tip at a time!

Source: http://www1.cbn.com/700club/ten-fitness-tips-healthy-summer

What’s In Season This Summer?

When you buy seasonal produce, you not only save money (who wants to spend $10 on blueberries from Chile?) and support local farmers, but you also prepare the best tasting meals since the ingredients are so fresh. Who doesn’t love that?

If you don’t have a local farmers’ market near you, no problem. You can print this handy dandy list and take it into any supermarket to guide your shopping.

Healthy Living Tip:

Prepare your meals. When you prepare your meals, you control what goes into them. No more being in a dilemma between eating healthy and choosing between sub-optimal food choices. Get some quality kitchen equipment — it will be your best investment ever.

Healthy Transformations

Turkey, Apple & Avocado Salad

Ingredients

•

2 tsp lemon juice

•

10 slices turkey breast, deli-style

•

1 Tbl yogurt, nonfat-plain

•

1 medium apples

•

1 cup lettuce, iceberg

•

1 ¼ Tbls raisins

•

½ medium tomato

•

¼ cup celery

•

¼ cup scallions

•

¼ medium orange

•

3 Tbls avocados

Spices / Flavoring

•

¼ tsp curry powder

•

¼ tsp salt, lite

Preparation: Peel orange and set aside.

Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, yogurt, curry powder and salt. Set aside.

Chop turkey, apple, and vegetables. Toss all ingredients together with dressing.